This page contains web pointers to information about some of the
people behind the group theory. The page is very incomplete and will be
added to over the coming weeks. The goal is to have an entry for any
person contributing to group theory who is directly referenced in the
notes.
Galilei Galileo (1564-1642)
Galilean relativity. Galileo did not have the mathematical idea of a group but perceived directly the importance of the equivalence of inertial frames. The Galileo group is the inertial relativity group of classical mechanics.
Henrik Abel (1802-1829)
Abelian groups
Evariste Galois (1811-1832)
Founded key concepts in group theory in the course of his study of algebraic roots of polynomials. Thought to be the first to use 'groupe' as a mathematical term. Died from wounds in a duel at 21 after writing up essential parts of his theory the night before.